Category: Outfits

A day trip to Los Angeles, scouting a reception venue for my business, a Santa Monica lunch with my sister, and a quick meeting with one of my best friends called for an outfit that was professional, unique, and a lot of fun.  Enter: the vintage skirt suit.  With its bold pattern, oversized buttons, and cinched waist… I knew I had exactly what I needed.  The addition of playfully large pearls, a sheer top with floral detailing, and faux ostrich secretary heels completed the look.  Being ladylike is anything but boring.

Lots of sunshine and a bit of chill in the air led me to believe that the Santa Barbara weather was determined to follow its fancy… it was behaving like a quintessential free spirit.  I decided to do the same.  Old (a vintage pleated skirt) and new (a ruffled top and Chanel sunglasses) combined with some hippie-meets-glamazon sandals reminded me a bit of the sunshine mixing with the chilly air.  It doesn’t seem to go together at first… but you soon realize that it leads to a delightful day… and a free-spirited attitude {and outfit}.

Ever since I was a little girl… I have loved swing sets.  I had already spent part of my day at the zoo… so I figured my childish antics might as well continue.  I drove over to my kindergarten playground to spend a bit of time reminiscing.  As I stepped into the tiny sandbox, I found that I remembered it vividly… it was as if nothing had changed.  I ran over and jumped on the swings.  I swung as high as I could.  At the peak, I realized how high I was… or how high it seemed… and I got familiar scared/happy butterflies in my stomach.  It was the exact same exhilarating feeling I had experienced at this exact same spot 20 years earlier.  As my “childhood” themed week came to an end, I was hit with the happy realization: I was still that same five-year-old girl. Just taller.

The theme of this week… for me… is childhood.  Getting back to what it’s all about… when things that mattered… actually mattered.  To get in the right mindset for this portion of my journey through life, I visited my elementary school.  It felt so small! (that could be because I’m older now… or because I’m a little over 6’1″)… My inner child is all about patterns, colors, and texture…  A fuzzy leopard print coat with hot pink satin lining, skinny dark denim jeans, a punchy purple floral mini-dress, a spiked black belt, purple sunglasses, and sky-high teal heels (with a bow!) made me feel like a child playing dress-up.  And, ironically, I haven’t felt more like my authentic self in quite some time.  It was a beautiful feeling and a beautiful day.  Channel your inner child. I dare you.

Every once and awhile (or, if you’re like me… often), you need a break from reality.  I was ready to go out to dinner and drinks with the crew… but for some reason, I didn’t feel the presence of my typical fashion forward instinct dictating the choice of my outfit.  My instinct at the moment (likely fueled by incessant work obligations and an unbelievably full schedule) was telling me to channel my inner child.  So I did.  My camo pants, fur lined puff vest, sheer thermal, and plaid/skull embellished sneakers were all accentuated by a set of pigtails.  I was happy.  A hodge-podge fashion disaster/success… and nothing could have made me happier than my pigtail and cocktail filled evening that I spent with truly fascinating people.